PHOENIX - A proposed budget by Republican legislative leaders won't provide the state prison system with the money it needs to provide big enough pay raises to keep officers from leaving for higher-paying jobs, Arizona Corrections Director Dora Schriro said Friday.

During an interview with a small number of reporters one day after GOP leaders presented their proposal to rank-and-file lawmakers, Schriro cited the 22 percent vacancy rate in the ranks of 6,231 authorized correctional officers. "We need help," she said.

The Republicans' proposal includes a $9.6 million increase for the Department of Corrections to raise the current $29,815 annual starting pay by $1,000, compared with a $5,585 boost under a $39 million boost sought by Gov. Janet Napolitano.

"It's a start but it's not enough," Schriro said of the raise that the Republicans' proposal would provide.